Water From a Stone
by Kaypee
Summary: Harry doesn't trust Snape. In an attempt to find info, he accidentally discovers secrets from Snape's childhood and present, reason he left Voldie, past love(s), and
1. Breaking and Entering

Hey there. This is my first fan fic. I was a late-comer to the series, but have been a Snape-lover ever since. Hope you like and please review. More to come. Thanks!

*All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I'm not making any money off this.

Harry pulled his Invisibility Cloak tightly around him and held his breath. 

"Did I just hear something?" he silently asked himself as his heart began to beat wildly. 

"If he catches me here, there will be no one to keep me from being expelled, not even Dumbledore."

He slowly pulled out the Marauder's Map careful to not even make the slightest crinkle or rustling sound. Moving his eyes slowly, as if they too could make a sound rolling in his head, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the name "Severus Snape" was nowhere to be seen on the entire map. 

He had been extremely unsettled since the last dinner of the school year at Hogwarts when Snape had looked at him in an unreadable way. It seemed silly, but he began to imagine and invent paranoid scenarios which disturbed him all summer long. 

Prior to that dinner, Harry guessed that Snape had returned to Voldemort to act as a spy for Dumbledore. Harry felt that Snape would never be able to pass as a loyal follower again unless he was able to use something or someone from Hogwarts as a bargaining chip to gain acceptance back into the fold. 

That someone was going to be Harry, or Dumbledore, or both. Despite what Hermione said, Harry didn't trust Snape was on their side, and he burned to know just why Dumbledore trusted him so much.

Harry crept slowly up to Snape's office door and whispered the password he'd overheard earlier that night. Hermione had discovered a brilliant Eavesdropping Spell which allowed sound from the enchanted spot to be thrown 50 meters away in a different location. 

Hermione had placed the spell on an inconspicuous floorboard near the Potion Master's office door. They'd waited nearly a half-hour after Snape's last class in a quiet stairwell, before they heard Snape whisper, "Bugger Off."

Since it was the only thing they'd heard Snape say, they hoped that it was indeed the password, and not Snape angrily addressing one of his students.

The question was soon answered after Harry breathed the words. The door clicked, unlocked, and opened several centimeters. Harry took one more nervous glance at his map before slipping quietly inside.


	2. Worry Stone

*All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I'm not making any money off this.

Harry didn't even know what it was he was trying to find out. He knew better than to even attempt sneaking into Snape's personal quarters. He guessed that anything of a remotely personal or secretive nature would lie in there. Snape didn't seem the type to write a tell-all diary or leave a pensieve around for people to stumble onto.

"Lumos." 

Following the glow at the end of his wand, his eyes focused on a smooth, slightly worn away grey rock on the professor's desk. He'd noticed Snape occasionally held the small rock in his hand as he looked over the students' potions. He'd occasionally leave it temporarily on a shelf, or his desk, or sometimes even on a student table when walking around the room, before absent-mindedly scooping it up again in his hand and rubbing his thumb over the smooth surface as he angrily barked orders or berated student efforts.

The rock was all Harry needed. 

Ron's father, Arthur Weasly told Harry all about investigation methods used by the Ministry of Magic when Harry stayed at the Weasly home two weeks before school started. 

Following Death Eater raids, the Ministry would search for natural objects the victims may have been in contact with for an extended period of time. For example, an abandoned bathtub full of water, an unfortunate torture victim's fire in a fireplace used to burn him, even the sand in a dead child's sandbox would do. The only catch was the natural object had to be primarily in contact with one person. A stone or wooden floor traveled upon by many would never work.

The investigator would place a soft, white cotton cloth near the object and recite a complex spell which would transfer the high adrenaline, often tragic experiences of the person from the natural object into the cloth. Another spell directed at the cloth would then play the experiences or memories like a movie directly on the cloth as if it were a viewing screen. Not only would the Ministry see what had happened that particular day or week, but they could see, if they wanted to, any high-adrenaline moment from the person's lifetime.

Mr. Weasley's first mistake was giving Harry an extra cloth as a souvenir. It didn't take long for Harry and his two friends to sneak into the restricted area of the library and copy down the spells they would need. 

Ron hated Snape almost as much as Harry and egged him on in trying to find out what the slimy git was up to. While Hermione was convinced that Snape should be trusted, she couldn't resist the challenge of learning this complex and fascinating investigation method. Maybe, after all, she would be finally proven right about Snape.

Harry clumsily pulled out the cloth, hung it above the rock without touching it, and recited the first spell. Quickly, he stuffed the cloth in his pocket and slipped out of Snape's office. He recited the password which re-locked the door, and crept as quickly as possible back to the Gryffindor common room where Ron and Hermione were waiting anxiously.


	3. Of the Cloth

*All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I'm not making any money off this.

Author's note: Thanks for the reviews! YayI will keep going with this. Part of this story somewhat relates to my favorite fanfic- "And Yet He Flinched" by H.L.B. Check it out. Short but sweet. 

"What took you so long?!!!" Ron demanded as Harry rushed into the Gryffindor Common Room and flung off his Invisibility Cloak.

"We thought you got nabbed for sure!" said a worried Hermione. "I have the second spell right here to cast on the cloth. You got everything you needed right?"

"Yeah." Harry breathed. "I made sure not to touch or move anything in his office. 

Snape wasn't even ON the Maurauder's Map! Do you think he's out with the Death Eaters and Voldemort?!

"Shhhhhh!!!! " Ron glared. "How many times do I have to tell you, DON'T SAY HIS NAME! Besides, if he is, I hope he's getting a swift kick in the arse. Gods know I'd like to" 

"RON!!!" Hermione was incensed.

"Shhhhh, you guys!" Harry whispered. Do you want to wake up the whole school? "

"Ok, so how exactly does this work again Ron?" Harry said as he carefully pulled out the cloth and laid it out on a coffee table. 

"Well, I never actually saw one of these cloths in action before. The Ministry definitely prefers truth potions, confiscating pensieves, even old fashioned Muggle journals for finding out clues."

"Why's that?" Hermione asked as she looked up over her paper with the second spell on it.

"Because it's kind of unreliable. First of all, you don't get any sound. Just images. Second of all, it shows you moments from the person's life all at random. You could be looking for something that happened yesterday, and get a scene from their second birthday party or something." Ron stated proudly, thrilled that he could be the authority on a subject for once.

"Kind of like when psychics pick up on people's experiences and personalities from a ring or jewelry they wore, or something?" Harry asked.

"Hmmph" interjected Hermione sarcastically.

"Yeah, sort of." Ron blushed, ignoring Hermione's remark. "Plus, if the object wasn't with the person when a crime happened, it's not going to record the experience. If Death Eaters raided a house, it's not likely many people were holding onto rocks or whatnot while they were being murdered. So the Ministry barely uses the cloths these days. Maybe as a last resort."

"So you mean, we wouldn't be able to see what Snape is up to right now since he didn't touch the rock since this afternoon?" Harry asked slightly disappointed.

"Um..hmm.." grinned Ron suddenly. "Maybe he's out on a date, and we can't even watch and make fun of the greasy slimeball. I'll bet he's got his best hair grease on and everything!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, here's the second spell right here. Should we give it a go? I'm a little nervous to tell you the truth. I mean, there could be some really yucky stuff on here, since he worked for You-Know-Who and all."

"To be honest, I'm too exhausted to care what's up with Snape." Ron yawned. "Mind if I go to bed and you can fill me in tomorrow?"

"Alright, I guess. And to think you won't even stay after I risked my neck!" Harry whispered playfully.

"It was YOUR idea anyway." Ron said as he began to climb the stairs. "I look forward to the deep and profound knowledge that will make me see the greasy bastard in a different light."

"G'night Mione" he smiled before disappearing up the steps.

"Goodnight." Hermione nodded. "Ok Harry, here's the paper. Shall we then?"

Harry gulped. "Here goes."

And with that, he pointed his wand at the cloth and began to read the spell.


	4. Becoming

*All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I'm not making any money off this.

With the touch of Harry's wand, a cloud-like fog began to shimmer across the cloth.

"I think it's working." Hermione whispered as they crouched behind a large chair close to the fireplace in case anyone should wake up and walk in on them. Since it was now past midnight, they'd turned out all the lights, save the faint glow of Hermione's muggle flashlight.

Slowly shadowy images morphed into more recognizable forms and flickered on the cloth as if a silent movie were playing.

What they saw was a tall, dark haired boy anywhere from fourteen to sixteen years old slowly walking into a dimly lit hall. There were several shadowy figures in the distance, but it was so dark, only the flickering light from the candelabras along the dungeon-like walls showed evidence of others being there at all. The boy appeared to have Snape's features, though his hair was about chin length and instead of hollow black eyes like dark tunnels, they seemed to be full of apprehension or terror.

As the boy walked on, slowly it could be seen that the figures were dressed in long, dark robes with faces hidden by what Harry now recognized as Death Eater masks.

Suddenly the boy seemed to stumble forward as if pushed from behind. The boy turned around to see a tall unmasked figure dressed like the others with short grey hair and cruel, angry eyes glaring at him. The older man of roughly 45 years of age, appeared to resemble Snape as an adult in height and skin tone and seemed to yell something at the boy, nudging him to continue walking forward at a quicker pace.

"Whoa!" Hermione whispered wide-eyed at Harry. "Do you think the boy is Professor Snape?"

"Must be." Breathed Harry in disbelief. "He looks about our age."

As the boy walked down into the hall with the older man close behind him, the Death Eaters parted on each side of them as the two made their way to one giant, central figure standing in tall dark robes. He appeared to be standing on a slightly elevated platform, almost altar-like, and a large green snake was coiled at his side near his thick black boots.

The older man behind the boy gave a quick but sharp kick to the back of the boy's knees, and his hand pushed down forcefully on his head so that the boy was now kneeling with head down at the tall figure's feet. He appeared to be shaking slightly.

Harry felt a dull ache in his scar and a bit ill in the stomach as he sensed the central figure was none other than Lord Voldemort himself.

The grey-haired man appeared to be giving some type of speech as he turned to address the other Death Eaters and then back to the man on the platform.

The central figure began to speak and slowly the boy lifted up his head and rose to a kneeling position so that he was eye level to the man's knees. The boy, who looked more terrified than ever slowly rolled up the sleeve of his robe and held out his arm as his head bowed back down towards the floor. He appeared to be responding to whatever had been said to him.

Just then the man on the platform put his left hand upon the boy's head causing the boy to shudder slightly. His right hand lifted a wand and pointed it at the boy's arm. Suddenly a bright light like a lightening bolt shot out of the wand and the boy's arm seemed to explode in a burst of smoke and light.

The boy collapsed fully on the ground and appeared to convulse and tremor for about 30 seconds.

The grey- haired man seemed to be laughing before he pulled his mask over his face. The boy slowly composed himself and slightly rose up to reveal the dark mark which now branded his hurt arm. He appeared injured, but slowly got to his feet and made a short little bow at the central figure before staggering to the sidelines with the other Death Eaters. His eyes remained fearful, yet seemed now to be a bit glazed over, possibly from the pain he'd just endured. 

Just then, the scene began to dissolve in a fog.

"Oh Harry!" Hermione said a little too loudly. "What did we just see?"

Harry's scar throbbed mildly. "I don't knowI think I think that maybe it might have been Snape becoming a Death Eater."

"So young though? Did you see his eyes Harry?"

"I know Mione. It was like he waslike he was like he was a human being or something" Harry blinked thoughtfully.

"Of course he's a human being Harry." Hermione chided. "But it was like he was being forced into it or something."

The two stared silently at the now completely foggy cloth for several uncomfortable minutes. Finally Harry spoke again.

"Ththat still doesn't mean he's not trying to kill me. We still don't know what he's up to."

"Well, we can try another scene if you'd like." Hermione offered.

Harry looked around the dark, empty common room nervously before slowly touching his wand to the cloth once again. His heart beat faster as he tried not to think paranoid thoughts about Snape somehow finding out he had broken into his office.

***Author's Note:** Coming upSecrets from Sev's childhood, why he hates James and Harry so much, reason he left Voldie, spying troubles and lots of cauldrons blowing upMight have to change to NC-17 laterit's not really R yet though. Will get much darker. 

Plus: Where the heck was Snape that night? Does he catch Harry? 

So whaddaya think so far? Please reviewcomments, suggestions, complaints? Give me a reason to write more of this instead of my thesis. Hee hee ;-)


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